This report urges that the mission of land grant universities be expanded beyond outreach and service to full engagement with their communities. The engaged institution is seen as being organized to respond to today's and tomorrow's students, bringing research and engagement that offer practical opportunities for students into the curriculum, and using its critical resources to address the problems of the communities it serves. The following 11 institutions developed exploratory portraits of engagement: Arizona State University; Iowa State University; Ohio State University; Pennsylvania State University; Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; Salish Kootenai College (Montana); Tuskegee University (Alabama); the University of California, Davis; the University of Illinois, Chicago; and the University of Vermont. Analysis identified seven characteristics of the engaged institution: responsiveness, respect for partners, academic neutrality, accessibility, integration, coordination, and resource partnerships. Among five key recommendations offered are: (1) institutions should consider engagement as a central part of their mission; (2) institutions should develop engagement plans measured against the seven characteristics listed above; and (3) institutions should encourage interdisciplinary scholarship and research, including interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Two evaluation matrixes are appended. (DB)

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